Westwood Holdings Group Inc. Boosts Position in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) by 6.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,158 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 446 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,161,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alera Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Alera Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its position in Procter & Gamble by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. LCM Capital Management Inc now owns 5,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Emerald Advisors LLC lifted its position in Procter & Gamble by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Emerald Advisors LLC now owns 3,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Brien Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the company’s stock.

Procter & Gamble Price Performance

NYSE PG traded up $2.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $169.11. 5,581,557 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,702,593. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $166.40 and a 200-day moving average of $161.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $141.45 and a one year high of $170.92. The stock has a market cap of $399.12 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th will be paid a $1.0065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PG has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Procter & Gamble from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Procter & Gamble from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $182.00 to $175.00 in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.29.

Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total transaction of $5,329,711.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,179,061.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Sundar G. Raman sold 31,924 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.95, for a total value of $5,329,711.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,042 shares in the company, valued at $3,179,061.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 31,859 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.90, for a total transaction of $5,253,549.10. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 9,739 shares in the company, valued at $1,605,961.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 125,320 shares of company stock valued at $20,696,223 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Procter & Gamble Company Profile

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.